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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231124">Run to You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0tticelli/pseuds/b0tticelli'>b0tticelli</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Historical Setting, Angst, Destined Rivals, Implied/Referenced Underage Relationship(s), M/M, Mild Sexual Content, POV Alternating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:49:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,136</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0tticelli/pseuds/b0tticelli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He can feel the sharp stare of Wonwoo, it almost burns the side of his face. Mingyu can’t bear to look at him, but when Wonwoo sits down next to him and places a hand over his, he doesn’t move it away. </p><p>And when he rests his own head on Wonwoo’s shoulder, Wonwoo doesn’t move away, either.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Minor Lee Seokmin/Kim Mingyu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Run to You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so i started watching a drama titled 'my country' and then got inspired to write this in the span of hours . </p><p>non-beta'd, so apologies for any missed mistakes. :p</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Wars are declared by kings, led by leaders, but fought on the broken backs of soldiers. For them, to be on the winning side meant going home was <em> almost </em> within grasp, however, when you were stuck in the middle with no promise of conclusion—where the lowest ranked soldiers saw more days of bloodshed than not, where they can’t ever erase the smell of blood and death that’s permanently stuck under their noses, nails, and flimsy excuses of armor because <em> everywhere </em> was disease, death, and decay—meant that home was nothing but an infeasible concept. Thinking about it only sprouted bouts of heart crushing despair because every day meant the loss of another friend, another person who would never see the end of justifiable means. </p><p>Mingyu hardly had a home to begin with. It only left a bad taste in his mouth, one of betrayal and heartbreak. After being swindled out of any chance of joining any higher military ranks and being a bastard child with no living parents, a sword was forced into his hands at 18. It was heavy and unfamiliar to him because he’d only ever wanted to learn to kill with a bow and arrow, but they never offered him one before shoving him onto the battlefield. </p><p>In Mingyu’s very first battle, he was standing, ready to fight for his kingdom—and then he wasn’t. Around him were the sharp clanks of metal against metal, shouts of rebellion and cries of suffering. His back was against something solid, warm and unmoving, with his head spinning and chest heaving from being knocked back with the brunt of something heavy. One moment he watches an enemy approach him, ready to impale him with the same, long object, and in the next they’re being cut down by someone in armor thicker than Mingyu’s. Lieutenant Lee—Seokmin shoves his sword into another enemy before grabbing Mingyu and forcing him back to his feet. Their eyes meet for barely a second, but there’s something familiar in them that tries to wake Mingyu’s slumbering heart. </p><p>
  <em> “You have to fight.”  </em>
</p><p>He doesn’t know how Seokmin knew that was the weapon he was most familiar with, and he never asked, but with the handing of a bow and quiver, Mingyu found the confidence to fight off the enemies along his comrades. That night, with fingers surprisingly delicate for a man of war, Seokmin personally tended to Mingyu’s wounds and shambled heart. Nothing got better per say, befriending Seokmin, but somehow it became a little more bearable with the authority to slip into bed with another. </p><p>Whether anyone knew, no one ever made a single comment to either. People died everyday, time was no longer a guarantee, so people let dogs lie and do as they wish with the means they had. Mingyu could never understand why Seokmin took an interest in him—why he didn’t just let him die on the battlefield alongside 50 other soldiers, why he showed him how to properly use his sword, or why he pulled him into bed a few nights after and never let him go. </p><p>He could never understand the workings of Seokmin’s masked mind, but Mingyu <em> could </em> understand his own. There was something familiar about him. Perhaps it was their similar accents, having grown up in the same region even though their villages hardly ever crossed paths. Perhaps it was the way Seokmin carried himself, the confidence in his walk, or the slope of his nose. Perhaps it was the way he held Mingyu down at night, hand pushed between shoulder blades or mouthed at his nape. Maybe it was a number of things that kept Mingyu at Seokmin’s side, but the commonality of all of it, was that it reminded him of the very person he should want to forget. </p><p>Sometimes he still sees the cat eyes of Wonwoo in his dreams. </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p>“I totally kicked your ass, just admit it,” Mingyu says to Wonwoo while they’re washing up at the shallow lake in the woods. They had just finished several rounds of tag that involved using dummy arrows. This time around, they were fortunate to escape any <em> severe </em> bruising.</p><p>Now their bows and quivers laid abandoned on a rock while Mingyu crowded Wonwoo into a little nook that was hidden behind the waterfall. </p><p>“Just because you got the <em> winning </em>shot doesn’t mean you kicked my ass,” Wonwoo grumbles with an expression that has Mingyu laughing against his neck. It’s a little harder to do that now, Mingyu realizes. Mingyu finally had a gained a couple centimeters of height over Wonwoo, even if he’d refuse to acknowledge it. </p><p>“Isn’t it <em> your </em> father who always says that it doesn’t matter how you got there, as long as you’re triumphant in the end?” Mingyu teases before letting himself go completely underwater. When he comes back up and pushes his hair back, he doesn’t miss the frown on Wonwoo’s face. </p><p>“‘The end justifies the means’, actually,” Wonwoo snaps, “The meaning is a bit different. Don’t bring up my father. You know I don’t like talking about him.” </p><p>Mingyu apologizes by kissing away the scowl on Wonwoo’s face. </p><p>Afterwards, they walk a hand in hand through the woods. There’s still quite a way of walking before they reach their village, neither afraid to hide their affections from nature. Their hair is damp, but quickly drying underneath the warmth of the day time sun. Wonwoo’s hair always dries curly, but even then it’s nothing compared to Mingyu’s unruly mane. Still, he liked the way Wonwoo’s bangs curled at the ends, as well as the hair that was too short to be tied back by ribbon.</p><p>Mingyu’s pointing that out as he always does when the praises go through his mind, hand pulling on one of his curls, when Wonwoo decides to change the subject. </p><p>“You know,” he starts, eyes downcast in a way that Mingyu knows he’s nervous about whatever he has to say, “I’m eighteen in two weeks. We’ll both be eighteen.”</p><p>“That’s right,” Mingyu says after Wonwoo remains silent for several seconds. Wonwoo clears his throat, nervously playing with Mingyu’s fingers before he continues again. </p><p>“The military service examination is going to be held at the end of the summer,” Wonwoo finally says, almost in a rush. </p><p>Now Mingyu understands. </p><p>“That’s right,” Mingyu repeats, trying not to sound too saddened by the topic. Because of his father, Wonwoo was essentially required to take the examination. He was destined for great things in the military, had even gone on hunts with General Jung and General Cha a number of times now. Mingyu, with no title to latch onto, would only be left behind. Which is why he’s surprised at what Wonwoo says next. </p><p>“You should sign up for the exam, Mingyu.” </p><p>Mingyu stops in his tracks, his hand being tugged by Wonwoo until he realizes what he did and stops too. </p><p>“Me?” Mingyu says, “But this is your year. You’re supposed to win.” </p><p>Wonwoo bumps his shoulder with a fist, not quite hard enough to be a punch. </p><p>“Hey, you make it sound like you’d beat me too easily,” he chides as if the implications of Mingyu’s words were only a joke, even though the both knew otherwise. Once again, Wonwoo’s eyes are anywhere but on Mingyu, “But I don’t <em> need </em>to win to join the military ranks, though. You know that, right?” </p><p>“But you’ll start lower than you could,” Mingyu reasons, “And you’d be looked down upon by other sons of—” </p><p>“I don’t care about that, though.” Wonwoo says. He grabs Mingyu’s hand with both of his now, bringing his knuckles to his lips, “Not if I’m able to have you with me.”</p><p>They’ve shared and exemplified their affections many times before, but somehow, this is the most heartfelt confession he’s ever heard from Wonwoo. It makes a home in Mingyu’s heart, and gives him hope for a future he never thought he could have had. </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p><em> Lieutenant Bastard </em> is a name that’s given to Mingyu on the day Seokmin is bedridden after being badly injured with an arrow to the leg. Their camp was subject to a surprise raid and with his fellow soldiers scattering like ants, Mingyu dawned spare lieutenant armor that was in Seokmin’s quarters. He marched past their coward of a captain who was hidden behind his many shields, to spread words of encouragement to the other soldiers and led them to their greatest victory in a long time. </p><p>From that moment on, Seokmin never asked for the armor back, nor did anyone question why he wore it, and kept wearing it in the first place. He felt more comfortable in the armor than he did in his own skin and his soldiers didn’t mind giving him rank. Briefly, their captain had some choice words for him, but it didn’t take but an arrow aimed at his right knee that had him letting them be. In the end, it was better for everyone. Seokmin, with Mingyu at his side, led the company better than the captain ever did, and no one paid any mind while the captain stayed around his tent cooking the same meat found by soldiers, and stayed sleeping with the thickest furs. </p><p>Their worst attack comes in the middle of the night. Their soldier count is at its lowest, under a hundred for the first time in months with no promise of replacements. A group of tents are set on fire and war cries wake Seokmin and Mingyu from their shared bed. </p><p><em> This could be the end </em>, Seokmin must think, because before they leave the tent to join the fight, Seokmin grabs Mingyu’s hand and looks him in the eyes with something soft, something unspoken and too meaningful for Mingyu to ponder. They let go of each other and don’t say anything as they turn their backs from each other and run into the chaos. </p><p>Mingyu loses sight of him, doing his best to cut down the enemy as much as he can. Someone gets Mingyu’s left arm with a sword, but he keeps fighting. All around him, his soldiers are falling, dwindling too fast in numbers against the enemy that already had an edge on them. Though Mingyu is different from how he was in his first battle, the helplessness feels almost the same. </p><p>He doesn’t know how much longer they can hold. He hasn’t been able to locate Seokmin anywhere in his peripheral vision, and for the first time in a long time the tiredness in his bones starts to bother him. </p><p>He thinks maybe it’s time to just lay his sword down and let the enemy do as they will. The life of a soldier was too miserable anyway, maybe the peace of death will finally bring the comfort that Mingyu has been yearning for deep in his heart for so long. </p><p>Horns sound in the distance and Mingyu thinks that maybe the enemies have been called back, but when they don’t stop, a dreadful feeling washes over him when he realizes they must have called for backup, instead. It’s cruel. They were a camp of a measly 70 and were about to be outnumbered 2 to 1. </p><p>It angers him, urges him to stand straighter, stick his sword straight through the heart of another. If he was destined to die that night, then he wouldn’t go without a fight. When the reinforcements do come, Mingyu’s men seem to fight with more vigor too. More cries of strength that pushes the enemy slowly back. </p><p>Mingyu realizes that the increased bodies weren’t for the enemy, but for <em> them. </em>They had sent reinforcements after all. </p><p>The enemy fell much quicker now with the arrival of horses and trained swordsmen. It doesn’t take much longer for most of them to fall back. Mingyu has to pause, chest heaving as he looks around in shock, eyes going to each of the horsemen in adorned uniform, each with swords worth more than his entire camp’s. </p><p>His eyes fell to one of the officials, one on a dark horse, face illuminated in the firelight that had yet to be put out. </p><p>Upon seeing him, time feels like it’s come to a stop. Sound falls silent to his ears and everything falls into darkness except for the man on the horse. </p><p>When Jeon Wonwoo finally looks at him, Mingyu wonders if he feels the same thing too.  </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p>Mingyu doesn’t understand why, but the promises they made in their youth mean nothing when they’re both eighteen, Wonwoo made that loud and clear. He stands with his back straight, looking up at the military officials as they judge the final round. Mingyu stays where he was knocked on the ground, looking up at Wonwoo in disbelief, with his fingers digging into the ground in lieu of balling into fists. </p><p>They crown Wonwoo the winner, even though it was unfair. His last move was devious. In any other context, from any <em> other </em> person <em> , </em> it would have had him disqualified right away and shamed from ever trying to enter the military ranks ever again. </p><p>But he was <em> Jeon Wonwoo, </em> the son of an even more powerful <em> Jeon, </em> and so he’s crowned first and given praise by all of the officials and onlookers. Wonwoo never looks back at Mingyu, and Mingyu is left to pick his own self up from the ground and go somewhere else to clean up his wounds. </p><p>No one bothers to ask him if he’s okay. </p><p>That night, Wonwoo tries to apologize with kisses and talks of <em> politics you wouldn’t understand, Mingyu. My father pressures me so much, Mingyu.  </em></p><p>He lets Mingyu take him against a tree near their usual meeting spot, and somehow it just makes everything feel worse. </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p>When they kiss now, it doesn’t take long for them to settle in familiar territory. In some ways, Wonwoo was still the same. Hair still kept only halfway tied back, bangs and loose strangs handing where they pleased. Has the same habits when he kisses Mingyu too, always on the brink of too eager that Mingyu never minded, one hand finding home to the expanse of Mingyu chest, while the other wandered up his neck and into his hair. </p><p>“I had no idea you were here, Mingyu,” Wonwoo says breathlessly, “I’m stationed at the large camp across the lake.” The Kingsnake Army, they were unofficially called, for their clever war tactics that allowed them to hardly ever actually <em> fight </em> in the war, yet be depicted as one of the stronger units in the kingdom. </p><p>Some things were very much the same, but in many ways, he was different—<em> they </em> were different <em> . </em>Mingyu was noticeably taller now with him finally coming into his full height. Only a couple of years had passed, but his was broader, tanner too, though the moonlight could only reveal so much. Wonwoo’s features had grown sharper, the hint of stubble threatening Mingyu’s face with every kiss. </p><p>His voice was deeper too, but his groans still sounded the same. </p><p>After a while they stop, not wanting to risk going too far when anyone could sneak up to them from somewhere behind them in the woods. They take a moment to stare at each other, their foreheads pressed together. </p><p>Wonwoo had changed in many ways, just as Mingyu had, but his eyes were still the same. </p><p>When he stares at them too long, Mingyu finds his heart hurting in reminder that this too was fleeting. He finally pulls away and allows Wonwoo to move from the tree he was pressed against. Mingyu sits down on the earthy ground and stares out to the lake in front of them. Across on the other side he can see the hundreds of tents stationed there. He looks at them, wonders which of them are still enjoying their sleep, wonders which of the larger tents belong to Wonwoo. </p><p>He can feel the sharp stare of Wonwoo, it almost burns the side of his face. Mingyu can’t bear to look at him, but when Wonwoo sits down next to him and places a hand over his, he doesn’t move it away. </p><p>And when he rests his own head on Wonwoo’s shoulder, Wonwoo doesn’t move away, either. </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p>From that point on, Mingyu finds himself sitting at that same spot more often than not whenever they have a rare moment of free time. Somehow, it’s an odd sort of comfort knowing that Wonwoo was somewhere on the other side, walking around amongst Kingsnake soldiers. Sometimes he even imagines that Wonwoo does the same thing when Mingyu isn’t present. </p><p>It’s a source of uplift for everyone else too, knowing that the larger camp really <em> does </em>have their backs. Everyone seems to walk with lighter steps, taking solitude in the way they haven’t had to deal with an enemy attack for several days now. Maybe they can even expect new permanent manpower soon, some would speculate. It’s because of that, Mingyu stares in shock when one night, he can see the larger camp packing up. </p><p>Where were they going and why haven't they sent any notice that they were leaving? </p><p>After watching for long enough to confirm that’s <em> actually </em> what they were doing, he gets up to go share the news with Seokmin. Maybe an official had already made their way to the camp and informed him of their next instructions. </p><p>He hears the snapping of a twig coming from a direction that isn’t his camp and Mingyu quickly prepares his bow with an arrow, pointing in that direction with an intent to hurt. </p><p>Slowly, he lowers it when he realizes that it’s Wonwoo, standing there with a smirk on his lips.</p><p>“You always were the faster shooter.” </p><p>“Why is your camp packing up? Where are we going?” Mingyu asks rather than spending a few moments trying to play word games with him. He watches the way Wonwoo swallows and averts his stare to the ground beneath their feet. </p><p>Mingyu wonders if it's a weird moment to notice how unguarded Wonwoo is around Mingyu, even during these times of <em> war. </em>Is it because Mingyu makes him feel safe, or because he thinks Mingyu would never hurt him? </p><p>“We’re retreating. General Cha says there’s no use for us to be this far away from the Kingdom, anymore. We’re going to meet General Jung’s army in the west.” Wonwoo says carefully, “I came to get you.” </p><p>It should be news of relief, but Mingyu can’t help the uneasiness he feels in response to Wonwoo’s nervous body language. </p><p>“Great,” Mingyu replies slowly, “Let me notify my troup and then we’ll set off.”</p><p>“No!” Wonwoo says suddenly, then calmly, “No. It’s not—It’s just—only you. I came to get only you, Mingyu.” </p><p>It’s strange. </p><p>Mingyu knows that in the past, hearing those words would have felt like a poem to Mingyu’s heart, but now it feels like poison injected into his veins. When Wonwoo offers him a careful smile, and holds out his hand, Mingyu feels something inside himself break and simmer into nothing.</p><p>“Why just me, Wonwoo?” He asks, a little too loudly, but at this point Mingyu’s forgotten to care, “Why not anyone else? Is it because we low ranking soldiers are nothing more than expendable parts?” Wonwoo seems to struggle to come up with an answer, so Mingyu only urges on, “Not only are we expendable, but forced to fight off enemies for <em> months—no—years, </em> in front of your army, only to find it was all in vain because the general wants to <em> retreat </em> ? And not even with us? We mean <em> nothing, </em>and you only want me to come because what, I’ve gotten in bed with you before? I’m not going to abandon my comrades just so you have someone to crawl into bed with.” </p><p>“No, Mingyu it isn’t that—” </p><p>“What then? Is it because you’re still guilty about what happened two years ago and think this will relieve some sort of <em> debt </em>?” </p><p>“Mingyu—” </p><p>“Is everything all right here?” Seokmin walks out from behind a thick tree, hand on the hilt of his sword. Mingyu wouldn’t be surprised if he was there this whole time, just waiting for the moment to reveal himself. </p><p>At his entrance, Wonwoo takes a careful step back from Mingyu, eyeing Seokmin with surprise before it melts into wariness. </p><p>“I’m just having a private conversation with Mingyu,” Wonwoo says, then adds, “Lieutenant Lee.” </p><p>Seokmin brandishes his sword, raises it to Wonwoo. </p><p>“If you know what’s best for yourself, you’ll leave immediately, Lieutenant Jeon” Seokmin says. Wonwoo gives Mingyu one last look, one that could break his heart all over again, but this time Mingyu doesn’t look at him. </p><p>And this time, he never looks back when he and Seokmin make their way back to camp. Mingyu half expects Wonwoo to follow them and tries not to feel further disappointment when he doesn’t. </p><p>When they approach, immediately they can sense that something is wrong. It’s far too quiet for their camp when midnight hasn’t even passed. </p><p>When they arrive, horror strikes Mingyu harder than it has in any battles he’s bared witness too. He sees the bodies of nearly everyone in camp, dead with their throats slit. Mingyu and Seokmin peek into the tents of others who had gone to sleep and find that they all suffered the same fate. Only three other men had survived. Two of them arrived shortly after Seokmin and Mingyu, coming back from doing god knows what at the pond a little ways east, while one seemed to have just been cut by an unskilled attacker—the cut on his neck shallow and not near any veins. Minghao saved his own life by pretending to be dead until he heard the sound of Mingyu’s voice. </p><p>“Mingyu,” Seokmin says quietly, long after the four non-injured ones worked to bring the bodies to one specific area at the center of camp. They’re in Seokmin’s tent while the other three huddle in the one that used to belong to the captain. As survivors, they were all still coming to terms with the fact that a knife that someone left behind, was adorned with the symbol of their own kingdom, rather than that of the enemies. Mingyu quickly wipes away his tears so he can properly acknowledge Seokmin. “There’s something you must know.” </p><p>Seokmin starts by pointing a small insignia carved and hidden on the inside of their armor. He says that he’s a part of a group with a name whispered only in rumors, that’s been working for decades to defeat all the corrupt power in their kingdom, including the highest ranking military officials, and that the person who owned the armor mingyu wears now was also a part of it. He reveals that earlier he too was in the forest speaking with another member of the Kingsnake Army, who also revealed the plans to Seokmin. </p><p>“He’s not high enough in rank, or close enough with anyone who is, to know that they would have done something like this,” Seokmin says, “Otherwise he would have told us. I wish I could say the same of your lieutenant friend.” </p><p>They make plans to meet up with Seokmin’s friend after the large camp has left, and the surviving soldiers have no objections to that, either. </p><p>Things change from then on. Soonyoung, Seokmin’s spy in the Kingsnake, along with a few of his own men, join them. At first, it’s an adjustment because Mingyu learns he was merely keeping the bed warm when he sees the looks Soonyoung and Seokmin exchange when they think no one else is looking. </p><p>Mingyu stops sleeping in Seokmin’s tent and neither speak on the issue, even when Soonyoung starts. </p><p>Time marches on and Mingyu marches with it. Lieutenant <em> Bastard </em> is a name that never leaves him, but he doesn’t mind it as he becomes somewhat of a pillar in the rebellion. </p><p>They slowly grow in numbers, with more people growing tired of the decisions of a senile king who gives too much power to an army that’s always in war. Their whispered name is spoken with more confidence in spaces safe from dangerous ears. </p><p>And when they bring their first corrupt General to justice—a Choi with an arrogant face—it’s a guarantee to be the first of many. </p><p>For the first time in a long time, an entire kingdom seems to be filled with hope. </p><p>For the first time in a long time, those in adorned uniforms grow uncomfortable in their own skin. </p><p>↠↠↠</p><p>The next time he sees Wonwoo, the passing of many seasons have been kind to him. When Mingyu has him pinned to the ground with a foot to the chest, an arrow aimed at his throat, he still thinks Wonwoo is the prettiest person that he’s ever seen. </p><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>can't say when i'll have ch 2 out because i really am meant to be finishing my dojae fic (<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/20393167">tuleloits</a>, involving demons and priests and a variety of lore! chapter 5 out soon! if that's ur cup of tea, go check it out hehe) BUT ! hopefully it will be soon. </p><p>u can find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/botticeIIi">twitter</a>! &lt;3</p><p>thank you for reading!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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